Tales of the Phoenix
by FrostbittenSpirit
Summary: Due to recently signed peace with a remote Kingdom of Caynnor, the daughter of the king is sent to Westeros. There she grows curious of Petyr Baelish and soon finds out the interest being mutual. Story is told in first person, from princess' perspective.
1. Intro

He was not the first person I met at the Kings Landing – oh no, I can't even recall who was. But little I care. This enigma of a man, however, was one amongst those to greet me first for they were curious of my humble persona. As I've learned soonish, no stranger escaped his attention – in fact I doubt anything ever does. He is cautious and attentive, twisted and sly, deviated in a way. But those are qualities that attracted me.

To this day he fascinates me – he is my inspiration, my fright, my crush and my insecurities. We built this odd relationship of semi-trust from a scratch and I could never shake the feeling there is something he has planned for me…

"This man only loves himself", they say. Oh, I believe them, I truly do. As well as I believe he only lets people close for the benefit of his own interest and I'm not likely to be an exception. But I can't fight it. It's said the opposites attract each other, but me and him are the same – two pieces of a jigsaw that cling together perfectly. Vile and dangerous, yet never giving an alarm of that. Feared but respected. Yes, that's us.

Little do Westerosi know, but this particular man is beneficial to me as well. And for all I know – he is aware. I read him like an open book, and he sees my soul just as clear. How odd it is to meet yourself in another person! Especially when they are not related to you. We were born to different mothers and in different worlds, by location and time. But here we are. The twists of fate and ill odds brought both of us here, to the Kings Landing and it was only a matter of time when would we meet.

The wait was long enough, therefore we were at least granted the first encounter nearly right upon my arrival. Could it be destiny? Did we meet because we were mean to, did we find each other and are to unite to remake the one grand thing we were until the Gods separated our soul into two? We must have been a devil himself. I don't know. But for now I cherish every moment, and every time we meet.

Both of us are careful and slow, exploring each other with a cautiousness you need when crossing a frozen lake. One wrong step and the ice breaks, letting the cold dark waters to devour you, trapping your soul in the eternal frost and darkness. However, each day we get closer to the safe ground. We grow confident and trust each other more by each moment we share. I feel it and I know he does. Rush is for the fools anyway, and the game we play has too much charm to stop. We're loving it, we're testing each other...And we fear each other.

By any means, he isn't the only person I've developed a firm relationship with – oh no. And the others, that count themselves as my trusted, tell me to stay away, naming him as a dangerous man. No doubt he is, but do they know who am I? No, not a single of them can tell the evil thoughts I harbour, the lust for power I battle daily. No one but him, the man I dare to announce as my soul mate.

They call him Littlefinger.

I call him Petyr.

Petyr Baelish.


	2. The Arrival

"We have almost arrived, your grace."

I grumbled, feeling as nauseous as I did for days now. Living far east from the sea, in the capital of my father's kingdom, Caynnor, I've never been too fond of travelling by sea. And so far that was the longest ship journey of my life. We, House Wrenne of Cyrd, preferred horses. Even the sigil of ours was a red field with an armoured knight on a white horse holding a silver sword aloft in his right hand.

"My mother is not around, Alienora. Be so kind and quit those stupid titles."

The handmaid of mine blushed and gave a small curtsy for apology. Gods, that girl was adorable – the only reason she got away with all of her follies. Soft headed, light hearted, naive and smiley. My sweet Alienora… Although she was hardly any useful, I was fond of the girl and valued her honesty. Despite our name days separated by a few moons only, I often felt for her as for a child.

"We have almost arrived...Emeline."

She clearly struggled to call me by the name, but I nodded softly approving the effort. Without my elitist mother around, I needed her to develop an habit not to use the titles. Not on me, at least.

I slowly raised from the bed and gripped on the nearest shelf, silently praying it would not break under the weight of my sore body. The bouncy sensation of the ground I stood on, together with the salty odour that lingered in the ship and the air alike, made me ill. The voyage of seven weeks had been one hell of experience. To think I complained about the four days horse ride to the port town of Caynnor!

Alienora gripped onto my waist to support me, and I threw arm over her shoulders. She was taller than me, therefore it was an odd position. However, I was so weak I could not care less. Slowly, she guided me upstairs, where the wind was so wild it threatened to tear the banner of house Wrenne off.

"Ser Kristofer."

I called for the man my father assigned to guard me. The knight in his forties, wearing the same silver armour as shown on the sigil and a crimson cloak attached, approached me. The features of his face were harsh, framed by strictly cut ash-coloured hair. The top of my head would hardly reach the mailed chest of his – he was as tall as I was petite. The man knelt down, but I immediately waved him back up. He was one of my father's men, but not mine.

"Your grace." He bowed head instead of the rejected bow, and I sighed. I was nothing but the youngest daughter of the king, those formalities were unnecessary.

"How far from Westeros are we?"

I released Alienora's shoulders and squirmed out of her grip, awkwardly swooping towards the railing I clung on upon the approach. Wind blew my dark blonde locks straight into my face, but I was far too powerless to fight them. The handmaid was kind enough to fulfil this bit of the duty by pushing my hair off the sight. The natural loose waves had turned into horrendous curls – it only made me hate sea a little more.

The knight walked to me and leaned against the railing as well.

"We should be there before the sun set. In three hours or so."

I closed my eyes, instantly regretting the decision. Nothing I wished for more than a solid ground. Upon opening them again, I gazed at the horizon, wondering if I can actually see the vague silhouettes of the Kings Landing or my tired mind is starting to play tricks.

From the glimpse of myself I've caught in water the other day, I looked as awful as I felt. Weeks of travelling and difficulties keeping food down caused an extreme weight loss and paleness. Being naturally lean and fair skinned, I now resembled a corpse. I felt filthy and in a need of a bath which was a rare luxury on the board of my father's ship. I might not have been spoiled, but I was still a princess. The travel cloak of mine was all raged, too. It was the occasion I could not wait to wear one of the dresses resting in the chests, I was even eager to once again feel the pain of having the knots brushed out of my hair.

The understanding there is likely to be a feast in my honour had only suffocated me more. If only they could wait until the morrow… But I knew they would not – not when I'm promised to the prince of Westeros to strengthen the alliance. For what I've heard, he's nothing but a boy. Eleven, or so. I shook my head in dismay, hating my father for it. With my age of two-and-twenty marrying a boy half as young was ridiculous. Political affairs hardly ever made sense.

"You should retreat to your chamber and take those hours to rest, your grace." Ser Kristofer suggested.

I was exhausted, but I knew I would not sleep. I've spent the most of the days asleep, often after drinking milk of poppy the maester gave me upon my leave. But we were out of it now. Yet, I nodded. I'd rather spend the remaining hours in bed than bullied by the winds of the unknown land.

Alienora, a maid of black curls and tan skin, tall and lean, wrapped arm around me again. She was not from Caynnor – I never asked for her origins. I've always assumed it'd be painful for her to speak of home she was forced to leave at the young age, therefore I avoided the topic. But it was obvious she was used to sea journeys, unlike me.

Walking down the stairs was more complicated that raising up, and reaching the bed was such delight I could not help but moan. Alienora offered me another of her sweet smiles as I collapsed into the sheets. The very corners of my lips twitched upwards, too.

"You must be excited, you are soon to be wed! To a prince!"

She clapped her hands, trying to start a conversation to keep me distracted from sickness. If anyone on this ship was ever excited about anything in the world, it was her. And Alienora was excited about merely everything. Her sincerity and curiosity were cute but dangerous. It became one of the reasons I took the girl as my handmaid, so I could keep an eye on her. As long as she was loyal, and that she was, I was calm.

"I'm not."

I closed my eyes. For once I was honest, too. If it was a king I was to marry, I'd be somewhat joyous. And this Tommen boy, just like me, was nothing but a lesser royalty. To my pleasure, Alienora did not answer. She probably frowned, but I didn't see. As well as I didn't feel the sleeping creeping upon me.

When the maid woke me up, we were already at the harbour of the Kings Landing. For the one who had never been anywhere outside Caynnor, I somewhat dreaded of what Westeros was to offer. Opinions of people I spoke to differed greatly – some said it was similar to my homeland, the others would insist it was another world. There was the only way to find out.

Despite looking worse than the poorest of the peasants, I felt no shame to step out of the ship. A stable land under me was what I sought for and was finally granted. Ser Kristofer had to take few leaps to catch up with me – following my father's orders, he was not to leave me without protection. I could tell from his face he was not pleased with my rush...But would not dare to speak of it.

The City Watch, or the Golden Cloaks as they called them here, were already waiting to escort us. If not for the knight refusing to leave my side, I doubt they'd even assume I was the princess. And I don't blame them. I've seen them exchange looks upon quick scan of my apparel and it made me narrow eyes – they were to be surprised soon.

The pleasant side of this humble greeting committee was them bringing horses. Ser Kristofer lifted me by waist to settle me down on a grey mare. I ran fingers through the animal's mane, feeling almost as happy as I did upon mounting a horse for the first time. This journey made me see how precious little things that made my life were.

We rode through the narrow streets for a fine hour. The parts of the city we crossed seem to be the darkest and the poorest. It made me wonder if there was a shorter path, but we were taking the long way intentionally, to attract less attention. If that was the case, I was partly grateful – no influential people needed to see me in the state travelling put me into.

The stink of particular places we rode past was unbearable – it stung my eyes so bad I've shed a couple of tears. What a filthy place, I thought to myself. And then suddenly the tired vision of mine was given a treat – the castle no worse than the one my father ruled. The Red Keep, if I remembered well. I bit my bottom lip, the gaze of mine silently praising the size and beauty of the building. Maybe Alienora was right and things were not as bad – this castle was to be mine...Even if only partly.

I smirked to myself – or, if I risk and win in seducing the king, becoming his mistress, it was to become fully mine. It was no secret powerful men were not as loyal to their wives as to the women capable of giving them love. Physical or not. The later was trickier, however the kings hardly ever sought for soul comforts in the arms of women. But it was far too early to start scheming, therefore I've left the roots of the plan to linger. Under right circumstances, I might get back to it.

As we rode past the gates, the guards stopped my servants to check the chests with my belongings. I exchanged gloomy looks with the knight – something was not quite right. Only Alienora seemed did not seem to worry about it – she was gazing all around with pure fascination, dazzled even, her mouth agape.

The ride took some more time, but eventually we had stopped. Ser Kristofer helped me to dismount, and the stable boys were already present to take the horses away. Everything was well organized...Too well, and it caused the suspicion. The uneasy feeling did not leave me even when I was introduced to the chambers I was to stay at – a fine room with the luxury a royalty such as myself would require. Rich fabrics, soft pillows and extravagant decorations. The side table already had a jug filled with wine and a couple golden goblets resting aside. Not long after our arrival, a maid came in.

"We are pleased to greet you at the Red Keep, your grace. The Queen Regent would like to meet you before the feast. Would you like me to help you with the bath?"

I narrowed my eyes. Cersei Lannister wanted meet me privately. From all I've dug about that woman, it could not mean anything good.

"No, thank you. My handmaid Alienora will assist me."

"But, your grace," the maid insisted. "I'm sure she is as tired as you are, why not let her rest?"

"Alienora will do fine."

I raised brows. Although I kept my tone as calm as it was before, the look of my eyes gave the girl a hint she was not to argue. And yet she was restless.

"You could dismiss ser knight," she offered, flashing a smile at Kristofer. His cold glance silenced the maid for a second, but she forced another grin and addressed me again. "The members of City Watch will guard your chambers day and night."

Ser Kristofer was about to speak up, but I was faster.

"I will accept the service of the guards."

I could see it in his features he was to protest, and again, before he could open his mouth, I silenced him with a brief motion of the hand.

"Could you show my knight where his chambers are? He needs to make himself look presentable for the feast, too."

My father thought I was a fool. Kristofer wasn't there solely for my protection. He, as well as the half of the servants, wre meant to keep my father informed of how do I fair. The only trustworthy person I had was Alienora, therefore she was the only one I'd not dismiss. Without knowing, Cersei did me a favour – I thought escaping Kristofer's attention was going to be complicated. I had no doubts he was to inform my father dearest of his failure the moment he enters his chambers.

The maid called him to follow. Upon his leave, the man gave me a glare – oh, he hated me. Being a lapdog to my father, Kristofer hated to admit I had power to restrain him from fulfilling the orders he had to follow. He generally hated the fact I had the power he craved. But it was my brother, the heir of house Wrenne, to take the full fury of his. The foolish knight had hopes to develop a friendship with my father and inherit the throne upon his death as the king only had two daughters – but his plan failed when Drystan, the first son my father had, was born. Even if by then Kristofer had any hopes left, they were shattered by the birth of the next child – the youngest sibling of mine, Rainard.

Few minutes later, a couple servants carried a tub into my room, as well as buckets of heated water and the bathing supplies. When water filled the bath of white porcelain, I simply waved sending them off. Alienora helped me to remove the ragged garb of mine. With each piece being taken off, the realization of how dirty my body was became stronger. By the time I stood naked, my skin caressed by the warmth coming from the fireplace, I could not help but feel being as smelly as the streets we rode past.

Carefully, I stepped into water. It was slightly too hot for my likings, but I craved cleaning myself up too bad to care. Alienora poured the oils brought along with the water and allowed me to soak for a moment before starting to scrub my body.

When I finally stepped out the bath, I felt as if I was a new person. A mythical bird phoenix, who raised back to life from its own ashes. The water in the tub was brown with the dirt I had stuck to me – as Alienora begun drying me, I closed my eyes not to see all the filth I was covered in for days.

The timing had amazed me once again, triggering only more suspicions – when I had a towel wrapped around myself, the knock on the door came. My dear maid looked at me confused, and I nearly laughed – such a sweet little thing she was. I nodded, encouraging her to open the door, myself turning away to face the fireplace. Servants carried my chests in. I bet they exchanged looks by seeing me wearing nothing but a towel – I was a princess of the distant land, and such behaviour was not appropriate to me… But I cared less. I was the one to make rules, and refused following the ones made by others.

As they left, I sighed softly.

"I'll wear the beige dress my mother gave me upon departure."

My mother spent months on it, and despite all the complaints I've heard of the dress being the hardest piece she's ever sewn, I knew she loved every stitch she made. And the dress was truly a masterpiece.

It took time for me to wiggle into it, as well as it took ages for Alienora to fasten it at all the places it was meant to be fastened, but the outcome was worth all the efforts.

"You look stunning..Emeline." The maid muttered in a hushed voice. I smiled before glancing at the reflection of myself in the mirror. She was right. It was one of the times my ego would purr as a stroked cat merely by how I looked.

My shoulders were always the body part I took pride of – they were small and narrow, giving a feel of fragility upon seeing my posture. They were left uncovered, as the folds of fabric which served as an attachment to hold the sleeves rested below them. The sleeves itself were made off lace and ended on my wrists. The chest piece wasn't too tight – I was not known for outstanding breasts, however the waist was ridiculously tightened to empathize each curve of it. My mother knew my body. From there on many layers of the gown came down, all finishing at my feet. I finally did look like a princess I was.

Carefully, I sat down, allowing Alienora to take care of my curls. She tried brushing wet locks as carefully as she could, but given the state my hair was in after weeks on the boat, it was still a torture. By the time she finished, the hair was almost dry.

"Don't do anything too difficult, we don't have time for it." I warned the maid. "I shall not make the Queen wait any longer."

She nodded, taking two thin locks from both sides of my head and tied them into a small braid by the middle. I then sent her to ask guards to summon the maid Cersei sent before, to escort me to the private meeting she sought for. My mild paranoia tingled again when the girl showed up in merely seconds upon being called.

"This gown suits you very well, your grace." She remarked politely. I could see it in her eyes, she did not expect a scruff I resembled earlier turn out to be a person.

The maid invited me to follow, and so I did, bidding Alienora to stay and have a bath herself. As we walked through the torch lit halls, I couldn't help but glance around. The place was so different from the Cloud Mansion, the castle of my father. I'd say it was… Empty. The Red Keep was decorated, of course, but those were mostly architectural accents, while the Cloud Mansion I grew up at was rich on paintings and tapestry.

It wasn't difficult to tell which chambers belonged to the Queen – knights in white cloaks guarded it. The Kingsguard. When we approached, they stepped aside dutifully, one of them opening the door for me – the maid did not go in. I was getting slightly anxious, the insecurities I had from the beginning only increasing. Possibly dismissing Kristofer was not the wisest of my decisions.

She stood in the middle of the room, glorious as any Queen would be expected to look. But I was no fool to be convinced by the expensive cloths – I saw it in her eyes, her face, her posture...She was tired. Worried. Scared, even. Insecure. Mayhaps there was nothing for me to fear, but the cornered animal was the fiercest. I bowed.

"Your grace, it is pleasure to meet you."

This woman was to become my family. The sooner I established a comfortable and friendly relationship, the better.

"Princess Emeline, welcome to Westeros. The pleasure is all mine." She replied with a wide smile. A fake, well trained grin which might even look sincere for the most. "I believe you had a pleasant journey?"

"It could have been better. I did not expect it to be this long and tiring." I confessed, returning her a brief smile.

She walked to the jug with wine, filling two goblets and handing one to me. Without wasting another moment, she took a generous sip. There was something she had to say.

"A long one indeed. Many things had changed since then."

I bit my lip. Did Westeros decide to break the alliance and I was to become a hostage now? That was the first thing to come to my mind – the worst scenario, probably. The Queen Regent continued.

"My son, Joffrey, the king, was murdered on his wedding day. Tommen took his place."

I widened my eyes. So I was to become a queen after all? Coming to Westeros was worth all the hells I had to go through. I nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"You were betrothed to Tommen and I apologize on behalf of the Small Council, but you no longer are. Due the alliance we had with the Tyrells, the girl betrothed to Joffrey is now wed to Tommen."

I listened, quiet. On one hand I was glad I won't have to marry the boy, on the other, I knew this could start a war. In terms of the personal interest, I was not pleased either – the power I came for had been taken away from me. The trip was a waste of time and health.

Cersei then put her hand on my arm, giving it a small squeeze. Another little fake move – she feared the war which might become a consequence, I could tell.

"Things turned out wrong and I'm in the fault of letting you and your father down. Westeros does not wish to break the alliance with Caynnor at any cost, but marrying the Tyrell girl to my son was a part of the earlier agreement. If not for Joffrey's death.."

I smiled a bit, offering her a small nod. She was still grieving about her first born. Which was to be expected. From the information I've collected on this woman, she was very protective of her children. I moved my arm from underneath her palm, and instead took her by the hand.

"One can never foresee such things, your grace. Please accept my deepest condolence for the loss of your son. I hadn't got a chance to get to know him, but I'm sure it is a great loss for the realm...And a tragedy for you. However, my father, king Terric, may not be as understanding. I beg you to tell me there is something we can do."

I saw the desire of hers to yank the hand away, clearly not trusting me enough to allow physical contact. Smart woman. Yet, she did not – her role was not fulfilled yet, the mask she hid her nasty nature behind had to stay in tact for a bit longer.

"I'm grateful for your kind words. I fear the only option I can offer you is to be the guest of the Red Keep for as long as you desire. I may introduce you to the highest lords, and hopefully you will find the one you'd fancy."

A prince first, now the lord. The fate was cruel. I wanted power, and the circumstances were implying I was to give it away instead of gaining. But what other choices I had? A war would not be beneficial to any of the sides. And so I nodded.

"I will accept the offer, then."

Cersei smiled at me. The same fake grin, but I could also read a relief on her face. She even seemed to relax muscles of the hand that lied in mine. That was a good beginning. If I were to gain her favours, I might work my way up after all.

"I'm glad we had settled this down, Emeline. The feast is about to begin. Would you walk there with me?"

About to begin? It took more time to make me look human than I expected to. I released the hand of the Queen Regent and widened my smile, nodding energetically at her request. I probably looked as enthusiastic as Alienora – that was my aim, after all. Cersei did not need to know of my intentions, it was safer for her to think I was nothing but a silly daughter of the silly king she's probably never even seen.

We walked out of the room and proceeded on walking in silence. There wasn't much to be said at this point, and especially under such circumstances. The Kingsguard that guarded the room now was at our rear, following us. I wasn't sure of how I felt about the situation – there were still many things I needed to learn and check before I could evaluate it. Making plans was too early and too risky. The thing I knew for certain is that I will need a lot of patience and attention – to spot the right people and to gain their trust. Those were the keys of success and getting them was a dangerous task.

When we approached an enormously big wooden door, I could already hear muffled sounds of celebration. And when the door opened, I was dazzled by it – the noise of jests shared, the smell of food and wine, somewhere in this chaos I swear I've heard fragments of the bard's song. Cersei did not stop to give me a moment to appreciate it all, and I had to keep up with her. There was a long table facing the entrance, and in the middle of it was seated my once betrothed with his new wife.

Just as I assumed, the boy was nothing but a child. The Queen, on the other hand...There was something dodgy about her – she played her role too well for it to be true. And I knew Cersei could see that, too.

When approaching the appropriate distance for my words to be heard, I bid the royal couple a bow and few words of appreciation for the welcoming they gave me. The boy king raised to greet me, undoubtedly knowing who I was, therefore I spared myself an introduction, eventually heading to take the only seat that's been left spare. In between of Cersei, who had just seated, and a man with a pointy beard, matching the sly little smile playing on his lips. He seemed somewhat… Small. I assumed he wasn't tall. The hair of his was brown, but despite the quite young looks, I could spot few streaks of grey. Just by a single glance at him I could tell he was one of the people I needed to befriend as soon as possible. Otherwise, he'd become a danger.

The moment I took a seat beside, he turned to me. Offering me a goblet of wine. A second person that night interested in getting me drunk.

"The journey must have been tiring, your grace. Some fine Dornish wine is likely to improve your health." The man spoke. He already knew who I was. Another introduction I could avoid.

I smiled at him, only receiving a half grin in return. Yet, I took the goblet and under the scanning gaze of the grey-green eyes, took a sip. I must give him a credit, the wine was indeed fine, and I am very difficult to please on this matter.

"Thank you, my lord. It tastes lovely, I'm impressed at your guess concerning my taste. Would you mind introducing yourself?"

Was it me, or I indeed saw a small smirk forming over his face for the briefest of the moments? I could not know. The man might have been small in height, but I, a stranger from the distant lands, felt his power and authority. And I instantly grew curious.

"Petyr Baelish, Lord of Harrenhall, Lord Paramount of the Trident and Lord Protector of the Vale." He bowed his head a bit, but his eyes had never left mine. Just like a half-smile never left his face. "It's a shame you arrived so late. As much as I'd love to get to know you better, your grace, I admit being tired. Forgive me, but I must bid you a good night."

With this, he raised from the table. I was right, he was quite short. Slightly taller than me, though. But this man definitely tickled my interest. I've never heard the name before and possessed no knowledge of who he was, although I could feel it coming from him – he was much more dangerous than he looked.

That night I fell asleep rather quick. The last thoughts I recall were related to him. I needed to find out more about this man, Petyr Baelish. I had to.


End file.
